Costume Guide

Introduction

Asphodel is an Ancient Greek themed fantasy game that takes inspiration from all of Ancient Greek history and their neighbouring nations, but with a fantasy twist. It is explicitly not a reenactment and costumes do not need to be entirely historically accurate. It is also not possible for participants to play as notable historical figures, but you may take inspiration from their designs in artwork.

The purpose of this document is to provide information, inspiration, and crafting assistance with designing and making your own costume. Basic Ancient Greek clothing is exceptionally easy to make, requiring a few metres of cotton or linen fabric with some large pins and a belt to form a garment. There will be many people who can offer advice and assistance should you need it, and we are looking at offering some basic costumes to purchase at the event for those unable to gather their own in time.

We are aiming for a high standard of physreps when it comes to non-human characters so help avoid the game feeling cartoony. Oversized and highly stylised animal masks, morph suits, and plastic halloween masks are not suitable for this game.

Appropriate historical inspiration may change over time as the game develops and is refined, but there are currently no plans to allow explicitly Roman, Persian, or Egyptian characters.

The setting is gender neutral and no traditional item of clothing is restricted by gender.

Appropriate Historical Inspiration

The visuals and costume of Asphodel LARP are inspired predominately by the beginning of the Classical Ancient Greek period (the 5th century BC). It is however a fantasy game and not designed as a historical reenactment; costumes can take inspiration from any Ancient Greek period. Some neighbouring nations are also appropriate to draw inspiration from, such as Macedonia and Thrace. A rule of thumb is if they are culturally similar or follow part of the Ancient Greek pantheon, they are likely suitable to use as inspiration.

The phrase “take inspiration from” is important there. The overall feel of the outfit should be Ancient Greek, but that doesn’t mean it actually has to be accurate. By using a Chiton or Peplos as a clothing base, and fabric Linothorax or moulded Cuirass for your torso armour, you can experiment a lot with the design and still have it feel like it fits the setting. Wear a reenactment-standard costume if you wish, but don’t expect it of everyone, and don’t be surprised to see much looser and fantastical interpretations of the costume brief.

Trousers

Ancient Greeks found trousers to be barbarous garments, so it’s a good thing this is a fantasy setting! While trousers are not historically seen, and it is best not to design your outfit around wearing them unless you are playing a “barbarian” or non-Greek city-state character, we realise that some participants may not be comfortable baring legs. And that’s before mentioning the differences in English weather to that of the Aegean sea! If you wish to wear trousers, aim for closer fitting styles such as leggings, chinos, or wool joggers, and avoid wide persian and viking-style trousers.

Things to Avoid

Participants must avoid costume parts that are distinctive markers for other cultures; Viking-trimmed tunics, Roman lorica, and Egyptian crowns are not appropriate garments. We realise Ancient Greek costume isn’t commonly available off the shelf, so encourage participants to share advice on sourcing items on social media.

Neighbouring nations such as the Achaemenid Empire (the first Persian Empire) have some garments that are appropriate to wear, but signature items such as wide trousers, cylindrical hats, headwraps, and Kulah Khud helmets must be avoided. Kandys (three-quarter length coats) were eventually worn by Athenian citizens so would be appropriate when combined with notably Greek costume elements. Scimitars may also be appropriate for individuals who fought or traded with the Persians. If using them as inspiration, aim to look Greek with Persian influence, not like a Persian citizen.

Distinctively Roman costumes must be avoided, especially lorica armour. Roman clothing such as toga is appropriate when combined with Greek accessories.

Material Choices

Fabric

Ancient Greeks traditionally used linens, wools, and silks for their clothes, but this is not a reenactment, and these materials can be expensive. Cottons and synthetic blends are perfectly acceptable substitutes, and are much more widely available cheaply in a range of colours. Shiny fabrics such as satin should be avoided when making larger garments such as chitons and peplos but may be appropriate when tactically used to accent outfits. All colours are suitable, though dark blue and black have connotations around death and mourning, and purple was only commonly seen on royalty.

Armour

Leather, metal, and hardened layered fabric are all appropriate materials for armour. Metal and leather scales are also appropriate. Foam armour should mimic one of these materials as closely as possible, or be coated in fabric or suede.

Chainmail shirts should be avoided as the armour was only just being invented by the Celts at the time this game takes inspiration from, and large pieces will detract from the feel of the setting. Small sections of chain combined with other armour pieces, or mounted on leather, would be acceptable.

Accessories

Any accessories should be made from a natural material or coated to look so, and not appear as if made from plastic. The exception is fake leaves and flowers, as it is expensive to buy high-quality fabric replicas. You should still attempt to dull any shiny plastic items down where possible.

Trims and Decorations

As with fabric, trims do not have to be made of linen and wool. Many patterns are suitable for the setting, but aim to avoid patterns heavily associated with non-Greek nations, such as celtic knotwork and paisley. Small amounts on trim are suitable, but avoid making it the only pattern on your outfit. We realise more expensive items such as armour are not easily changed, but you should avoid these less suitable patterns when making custom items for this game.

Fashion Styles within Ancient Greece

As no items of clothing have survived to the present day, it’s difficult to say exactly how everyone in each region dressed. There are a few notable differences to take into account if you wish to play a character from a specific location in the game to help build community identities between characters.

Athens

Athens was extremely wealthy, and the largest city-state at the time. Athenians have been noted for wearing heavier, more concealing clothes; a long chiton or base layer is better here. Bright and otherwise expensive dye colours would be very appropriate for its citizens. The city was also close to the region of Laurium, which contained significant silver mines.

Sparta

Sparta was a dominant military land-power, and focused its society around military proficiency. Bronze cuirasses and greaves were common for soldiers, and any combatants’ clothing should be red. Dresses were worn with slits up the side to allow for freer movement. Those working on farms instead of the military would wear duller garments.

Macedonia

The Macedonians were more likely to wear Chitons and shorter garments, as well as Chlamys cloaks in a bright colour with decorative stripes on the lower or side edge, matching with their military unit should they be part of one. They had a distinctive white or cream rolled-up felt-cap called a Kausia, but would wear clothes of any colour. The colour purple was reserved for royalty, alongside their friends and bodyguards, and colourful Kausia hats would be given out as gifts.

Thrace

The Thracians commonly wore tunics, a cloak known as a Zeira, high fawnskin boots, and either a Phrygian cap or an Alopekis fox-eared hat. Their clothing was usually decorated in intricate or repeating patterns, and Northern tribes wore clothes similar to Scythians.

Isolated regions, Sea People, and Barbarians

There are fewer records of citizens from small regions and local nomadic groups. Fabric was expensive to make, and poorer or more isolated groups would not have the same level of access to high quality fabrics that the city-states did. More stereotypically barbaric costumes are suitable for this setting, designed around well-used fabric, animal hides/heads, leather armour, and loosely woven hemp materials.

As the game progresses and more historical research is conducted, more regions will be added to this section.

Historical Clothing Reference

To help with making and sourcing specific notable Ancient Greek garments, we’ve compiled a small selection of pictures and diagrams. This is not an exhaustive list, more a good starting point for your costume designs.

Chiton

A simple tunic, usually made from lightweight (sometimes pleated) linen. These are made from a wide rectangular tube of fabric, secured at the shoulders and arms with pins or buttons. They could range in length from the ankle to above the knee, and have one or both shoulders pinned. The two main styles of Chiton; the Doric/Dorian Chiton, and Ionic Chiton, are shown below. The arm holes on the Ionic Chiton could be on the top or side edges.

Excess fabric would be pulled over a girdle, belt, or cord fastened around the waist. Another strap (an anamaschalister) could be used to help control a bulky outfit; worn around the back of the neck, brought under the armpits, crossed at the back, and tied at the front.

Peplos

A square piece of cloth originally worn over or instead of the chiton. The top third was folded over and pinned at both shoulders, and the waist secured by a girdle or belt. The neck gap at the front can be worn very low to show more of the under garment, and the cloth would be left open down one side.

Himation

A simple outer garment worn over the peplos and chiton. Made from a long rectangle of heavier material, it passed under the left arm, and was secured at the right shoulder. It would be twisted around a strap that also went under the left arm. The back of the garment could be pulled up over the head.

Chlamys

A cloak made from a rectangle of wool, usually worn in the military or when hunting. It was fastened at the right shoulder with a brooch or button.

Tunics

A slightly more Hellenistic or more Northern style of clothing, simple tunics are good base layers, especially when a Chlamys is worn over the top.

Accessories

Fasteners

Fabric was rarely cut or sown as it was so valuable, so would instead be fastened with buttons, pins and brooches to make garments. Larger peronai and fibulae pins were commonly used to fasten garments at the shoulder. Belts, girdles, sashes, and cords were used to fasten garments at the waist.

Footwear

Where possible we encourage participants to wear fabric or leather slippers, sandals, shoes and boots. Modern non-plastic sandals are suitable, since comfortable leather ones are much harder to find. Larpers often say that costume ends at the ankle, and while we agree, shoes must be dark and not jarringly modern.

Hats

Headdresses

Jewellery

Armour

Helmets

There are many Ancient Greek styles of helmets, usually made of bronze. Leather reproductions would also be suitable at this game.

Torso

The most easily bought armour for this game is metal or leather Cuirass. Linothorax made from layered fabric, metal, or leather is very fitting for the game, but will likely need custom making. Sections of scales and chainmail (but not full chain shirts) are a great way to add variation and make armour suited for higher ranking soldiers.

Vambraces

Vambraces were not known to be worn outside of the Archaic period, but are appropriate in this game when leaning into the fantasy aspect of the design.

Greaves

Greaves however were very common, and are encouraged for all soldiers. Bronze greaves were most popular, but leather and linothorax-style fabric constructions are also suitable. Ancient Greek typically included the knee in their design, but below-the-knee greaves are suitable for the game too.

Weapons and Shields

Most weapons will be suitable for this game so long as they don’t appear modern or have prominent and recognisable non-Greek iconography on them. If purchasing or commissioning items specifically for this game, you should aim for more historical Ancient Greek design bases.

Swords

Spears

Ancient Greeks used long, leaf-tipped spears, but any historical-looking spear is suitable for the game.

Shields

All shields must be round, either complete circles or ovals, whole or with sections removed. Whilst tower shields were used by Mycenaeans, the design is too easily associated with Ancient Roman tower shields to include them at this stage of the game.

Fantasy Design Elements

There’s a lot of historical costume reference mentioned in this document, and not much mention of the fantasy elements suited for the game. That’s because as long as you’re working from a solidly Ancient Greek base, you can make many additions and tweaks to develop and personalise a design, and it will still feel like it fits with the setting.

The following games are based on Ancient Greece and display good examples of slightly – or very – fantastical takes on the historical outfits. Take care when using these games as inspiration that you develop new outfits, and are not cosplaying from a specific game!

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
Hades by Supergiant
Theros from Magic the Gathering
Immortals Fenyx Rising


A Himation worn by itself	A Himation worn over the head	Illustration

Pileus(felt hat)	Petasos(felt or straw hat with a strap)	Phrygian Cap(wool or leather)

Kredemnon(Headdress with lappets hanging down the shoulders)	Ampyx(headband with a gold/silver plate)	Diadem(Metal headband)

Metal and gemstones	Intricate sculpted pieces	Motifs of gods and nature